...a diary of the falling dominoes chapter

invisibly dying from the inside out
no one is looking into unseen eyes
no one can hear a muted voice fading
no one is close enough to be near

the deafening thrums echo
anxieties’ racing heartbeat
within morphing flesh shell ,
gasping for new breath
in a hovering stale silence

from a distance
the broken mirror ricochets a subdued light ;
much closer the reflection reveals
someone I once knew by heart

now an unrecognizable mask
enshrouds a terminal emptiness
inconspicuous at a fleeting glance ,
impossible to discern what storms rage
from the inside out ,... unnoticed  

an uncontained wildfire
smoldering within,  lies in wait
for the imminent winds of change
to fan the flames into the final
eternal silent ashes

a poet reaches out demurely
offering a candid look
into the window
of the imperfect human soul

there is no poetry
met by indifference
just gathered unread words scribbled,

squandered time
dripped slowly on an empty page ;
moments turn into days
days turned into years

invisibly dying from the inside out
an unfinished life trickles out
like seeping blood evanescing
from a bottomless puncture
wounding ... penetrating the heart,
leaching out the slow death of a poet

for poetry is only words unless they touch someone ...

befallen to indifference is poetic death
by salted paper cuts ...

a muting suffocation
that hiddenly erodes away,
silencing the passion
of a musing soul
one unread word at a time ...


© harlon rivers ... all rights reserved

Pestered and pursued
by unknown foes
A topsyturvy land
where snakes can have horns
and cows can have fangs.
Night'mares' where the day's stallions
make mountains out of molehills

A chance to witness greek mythology-like creatures for real
For dreamland tis a place for the unreal and surreal.

Those hair-raising scary scary dreams
beset with horrified silent screams!

We do try to interrupt nightmares, pinching ourselves
With relief wake up to see there aren't any horrid elves.
We also try to interpret dreams filled with mystery
But gifted dream interpreters like prophet Joseph
Are now part of biblical human history

All in all, dreamland's fascination
for extra-ordinary exaggeration
and tall-tale imagination

Where myth and legend come to life
An amalgam of fiction or real strife

Where assorted monsters of the mind
reign supreme in that REM sleep of our kind.

Yet on the other hand the wishful, wistful sweet sweet dreams
where fantasies form mirages bordered by fanciful seams.

Where castles in the air that humans build, float gently down to earth
only to shoot back up unto nowhere from the awakened one's berth.

In dreamland a pauper girl can be a princess or fairy fair
for daydreams extend into the night and linger on there.

A quote I took to heart and it to console all and sundry
'that if your sweet dreams don't come true, don't you fret
for atleast your nightmares didn't come true either,
so just heave a sigh, by and by.

Every night let us all just fly away and escape
And lo behold  the extraordinary world of Dreamscape

Caught up in the strings of violins
Flying high above the trees
The echoing sound of sweet melody
With beautiful orchestral harmony

Celestial lights with joy they bring
Taking one somewhere afar
Distant worlds where angels sing
With orchestra and shining stars

This velvet voice a delight to hear
One's mind and soul are carried away
With no fear or regret everyone's there
In a place where nirvana waits.

Savouring this moment that,s like a dream
Where all can come and go as please
Caught up in the strings of violins
This musical feeling of ecstasy.

Now it's back on earth to reality
This music just took too flight
The orchestration reached the heart
Reflecting this beautiful stary  night.

In a distant land, my homeland
Behind the winding road
Of strange mountains-
That used to swim under the sea
With stones too familiar with the
Tides of a forgotten time-
Full of cavities and scars-
Like the tattered soul of
Unrequited lovers
Never fully accepted their fate-

Some good men with hearts
Of gold
Built a wonderland from tales
Of old
And invited women and men
To play and perform
But these aren’t exactly like
The friends you’ve known
They are just like us but
They’ve never fully grown

So, some more men came
With words sharp and eyes glaring
Alas, all that glitters is not gold
“Exploitation” they yelled
“Abuse” they screamed
Calling to tear down this haven
Newly built

The perfectly unharmed screamed so loud
That the supposedly hurt was never heard:

“We’re not children you fools,
Here, we’re finally not special
Not outcasts, or outsiders
With a family of the same
And a palace for roofs
Who are you to decide we’re living
In pain?
You, who treat us like infants
Helpless,
When we’re no different from
You.”

How does one ask for peace
When prosperity never led to longevity
How can the world end all hunger
And not fall to gross gluttony

I see the elders
Beaten, starved, survived
Cherishing the joy of a softer life

I see the younger
Fallen to the levity
Of a life without much gravity
Overlooked for a lack of experience

You can't fault anyone seeking
Refuge from pain
Yet, there will be no end to hurting
Until you've borne enough for calluses

T'is the circle of life
Always seeking to end the blemishes of life
Yet
Always longing for hunger when full
Always missing to ache when numb

Though
There's always hope for the hopeful
Some hope for AN END, A VOID
To the endless cycle
To everything
Others hope for something different
If the truth is ever unknown till experienced
And hope is hope
Why not hope for the unfathomable
Where suffering is not prerequisite to joy
It is not banished or outlawed
It simply does not exist
Nor can it even be pronounced,
Along with DEATH
And TIME

Unlike BLISS,
And the liberty of pure existence
With absolute free will

Endure the momentary
For the everlasting reward
When you close your eyes
You can believe in the darkness
Or await the wonder of an eternal dream

Phlox in a field leave a lovely smell in the air. Yet, the fragrance of them cannot compare to the scent on my pillow when last you were there...

©️